GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, April 4 (UPI) -- In eastern Pakistan police have disrupted a violent protest by demonstrators who opposed the participation of women in a 10 kilometer mini-marathon.
The clashes erupted Sunday morning after about 900 supporters of the Islamic religious party alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal attacked the men and women participating in the race with batons and stones, police said.
A police chief in the city of Gujranwala, 120 miles southeast of Islamabad, said that 10 people were hurt. Protesters opened fire on the police near a stadium where the race was due to end, while the police fired into the air to disperse the attackers, the BBC reported Monday.
Pakistan's Daily Times reported that some protesters threw Molotov cocktails and set cars and motorcycles on fire. Police used tear gas and arrested hundreds of protesters, the report said.
In a similar incident two months ago, Islamic groups strongly criticized a race in Lahore, saying the female participants had violated the Muslim dress code.
